Players and staff have gone unpaid for months and with the Serie A side no longer able to even pay for ground staff, their fixtures for the remainder of the season have been voided and demotion looks likely.

Yet for all the sadness and concern surrounding the plight of this once great club, the likes of Allardyce and West Ham may well be taking even more of an interest in the future of the Parma squad.

More specifically they will be looking at Algeria international and long-time target Ishak Belfodil and his plans for the future.

The 23-year-old has been on the Hammers’ radar since January 2014, with The Guardian reporting at the time that the London club were keen to recruit the forward on a loan deal from Inter Milan.

A deal had looked to be have been agreed in principle, only for the move to collapse with Belfodil moving to Livorno on loan before sealing a permanent switch to Parma last summer.

Even then West Ham continued to pursue the player, with Tutto Mercato claiming back in December that the club would move for the forward.

Jack Beresford

Jack is a 27-year-old writer with experience in writing about sport in a range of guises. He’s something of a statto when it comes to soccer and has a passion for English football at all levels, as well as Serie A and the Bundesliga.